Jennifer Merrick

In this series, I’ll introduce one fabulous destination and show you where to stay, savor and play on two different budgets. Splurge-worthy picks are all about luxury resorts, fine dining and individualized experiences while budget-friendly ideas offer bargain digs, cheap (but good) eats and free or inexpensive activities to enjoy. I’ll provide money-saving tips (even for the splurges) and ensure that whatever your budget is, y...

Like many travelers to Mexico, we wore a wristband. But ours didn’t allow access to buffets, unlimited cocktails, pools or nightly shows. Instead, it gave us the privilege of exploring a protected natural marine ecosystem that Jacque Cousteau once called ‘the aquarium of the world’.
An Overview of Camp Cecil de la Isla
For three glorious nights, we slept on the beach in luxe tents with real beds on the uninhabited Espiritu Sant...

THE BATHROOM SCALE. After a vacation. I’m sure I’m not the only one who dreads this moment of truth. The price I inevitably pay for holiday indulgences averages about five hard-to-shed pounds. So, imagine my delight when I returned from a rejuvenating getaway at Hilton Head Health, and the scale had moved five pounds in the opposite direction. Residential weight loss programs are nothing new. In the 1960s and ’70s, “fat camps” began to make an appearance.
Rapid weight loss was the name of the...

“NATURE IS MAGIC,” says Robert Bateman, one of Canada’s most acclaimed painters. The variety and richness of the natural world is what he absorbs and expresses in his paintings. He lives on Salt Spring Island, and he’s far from the only artist here. In fact, this gulf island, located between Nanaimo and Victoria off the coast of Vancouver Island has the highest percentage of artists in Canada. More than 320 professional artists (those who actually make a living from their art) reside here and this doesn’t include all the passionate hobbyists who also create and perform among the island’s ...

Legendary champagne powder snow, jagged glacial peaks and vibrant mountain communities make the Canadian Rocky Mountains a bucket list ski vacation no matter what your budget.

Craving the Mountains but not the Crowds? Visit the Kootenay Rockies!

What do you picture when you think of the Canadian Rockies? Most of us conjure up the iconic images of Banff and Lake Louise with their turquoise glacial lakes and snow-covered jagged peaks. Stunning to be sure. Over 4.5 million people from all over the world visit these national parks every year to marvel and vacation in their beauty. But the glorious mountain scenery is not confined by the border...

Latest Articles, Stay & Play
Stay & Play
Montebello, Quebec: Luxuriate in an Immersive Wilderness Experience at Parc Omega
Article and photography by Jennifer Merrick
All three of us collectively gasped as we opened the door to our panoramic chalet. We dropped our bags, pulled out our phones, and hurried towards the floor-to-ceiling windows that took up the entire back wall of this beautifully designed accommodation. Outside was a large patio with a hot tub surrounded by evergreen trees, thei...

In this series, I’ll introduce one fabulous destination and show you where to stay, savor, and play on two different budgets. Splurge-worthy picks are all about luxury resorts, fine dining, and individualized experiences while budget-friendly ideas offer bargain digs, cheap (but good) eats, and free or inexpensive activities to enjoy. I’ll provide money-saving tips (even for the splurges) and ensure that whatever your budget is, you’ll be able to make the most of your vacation.
Highlights of ...

In this series, I’ll introduce one fabulous destination and show you where to stay, savor and play on two different budgets. Splurge-worthy picks are all about luxury resorts, fine dining and individualized experiences while budget-friendly ideas offer bargain digs, cheap (but good) eats and free or inexpensive activities to enjoy. I’ll provide money-saving tips (even for the splurges) and ensure that whatever your budget is, you’ll be able to make the most of your vacation.
Highlights of Gua...

Mexico
Want to Experience the Real Mexico? Go to Guadalajara!
Article and photography by Jennifer Merrick, (main photo: WT library)
“Guadalajara, Guadalajara, you’re the actual heart of Mexico,” say the lyrics of the popular mariachi song, written by Pepe Guizar and covered by multiple performers, including Elvis. Having recently visited this capital of the state of Jalisco, located in the Atemajac Valley in west-central Mexico, I wholeheartedly agree with the composer.
Though it’s one of the...

In this series, I’ll introduce one fabulous destination and show you where to stay, savor and play on two different budgets. Splurge-worthy picks are all about luxury resorts, fine dining and individualized experiences while budget-friendly ideas offer bargain digs, cheap (but good) eats and free or inexpensive activities to enjoy. I’ll provide money-saving tips (even for the splurges) and ensure that whatever your budget is, you’ll be able to make the most of your vacation.
Highlights of a 1...

Once is enough for some destinations even if they have their own merits and charms. Other places call us back and the urge to return is strong. Golden, BC falls squarely in the latter category. We first visited six years ago and became enamored with this small mountain town with a big heart and even bigger mountain scenery.
Situated in the Valley of a Thousand Peaks, which separates the Rockies to the east...

In the heart of Banff National Park, the Sunshine Gondola whisked us up almost three miles on a 20-minute ride through surreal mountain scenery. Not only was it a ride to remember just for the views alone, but it was also the method of transportation we needed to use to reach our accommodation at Sunshine Mountain Lodge.

Sitting at 7,200 feet, the 84-room resort is the only high-alpine accommodation in Banff and is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Up here, as far as the eye can see are the Rocky Mountain peaks, including Mount Assiniboine, Canada’s Matterhorn.

Published September 7th, 2024
Photography by Jennifer Merrick unless otherwise noted.
I’ve never been a football fan. Honestly, I don’t even understand the rules, and the only time I watch the Super Bowl is during the half-time show. And yet at the end of my visit to Green Bay, a small city located on the shores of Lake Michigan in the state of Wisconsin, I found myself at the Packers Pro Shop, scooping up merch, including a green and gold tee that I’m wearing now. I would have bought a chees...